Sewing Facings, How to Sew Facings Made Easy

‘Let’s face it’ knowing how to sew a facing will make a big difference to the garment you are sewing. Sewing facings just gives the finishing touch to the neckline. Mastering the technique of sewing a perfect round neck facing or a V-neck facing is always going to bring the best outward appearance to your dressmaking.

Sewing Facings Tutorial

What is Facing in Sewing?

If you are new to sewing and your pattern calls for a facing, you may be asking yourself what is facing in sewing? A facing is simply a strip of fabric used to finish and hide the raw edges of a neckline or armhole.

Sewing a Facing Overview

In simple terms, it will have the same shape as the neck or armhole, and you will sew it to the outside of the garment with the right sides together, clip any curves or corners and then press it to the inside, therefore making it invisible. Sounds easy, doesn't it? Well, it is.

How to Make a Facing Pattern

If your pattern does not include a facing it is easy to make a pattern piece for sewing facings.

Simply use the front or back pattern with the neckline as a guide and transfer the curve of the neck onto a piece of plain paper or tissue paper. Rolls of brown paper are useful to have in your cupboard for patternmaking larger pieces.

Then mark the distance from the neckline to the outer edge of what will become your facing and draw the outer curve to complete the facing.

Generally, a facing will be 2-3 inches wide (5-7.5cm).

If necessary, add seam allowance and markings too.

Place the pattern piece on the front or back pattern piece to check and mark any direction arrows for the grain of the fabric.  The center front or back will be on the fold to match the center of the garment.

Best Facing Material

Facings are generally made from the same fabric as the outside of the garment. You will notice I have used a highly contrasting facing fabric in this tutorial, but in most garment construction, it will match the main fabric. The reason is that you will often see just a hint of the facings at the neck seam. If you use a matching fabric, the facing will be invisible.

If your main fabric is thick, choose a thinner fabric for the facing in a matching color.

Sewing Facings - Round Neckline Facings & Armhole Facings

I have shown you here how to sew neck facing, but sewing an armhole facing uses the exact same technique.

Step 1 - Preparing for Sewing Facings

Cut out your facing according to the pattern. Make sure you pay careful attention to all the sewing notches and markings, as accuracy is very important.

If your fabric is thin, cut out matching fusible interfacing and iron this onto the wrong side of each facing piece. Remember to use a pressing cloth so that the sticky side of the facing does not get attached to your iron. Often a woven fusible facing is used as it is much softer and doesn't cause any wrinkling in the fabric.

Step 2 - How to Sew Facings to the Bodice

Stitch together the garment shoulder seams and the shoulders of the facing fabric.

Trim the seam edges and press them open ready to match the bodice neckline.

TIP: Do not stitch up the side seams at this point as it is easier to do the facing when your garment is still flat.

If your fabric frays, neaten the outside edge of the garment facing with your serger or pinking shears. A simple zig-zag stitch will also work.

My mother always turned the outside edge over once and straight-stitched it, but I generally find this method a little tricky on really curved neckpieces. You will notice this method in many vintage sewing pattern instructions.

Match the garment facing to the neckline with the right sides together. It is very important to match the shoulders and notched markings exactly to ensure the facing fits perfectly.

Use pins close together and in a vertical position, so they hold the facing firmly in place.

Further reading: How to pin fabric for sewing

Stitch with a straight stitch with the specified seam allowance, gently follow the curve of the facing.

Step 3 - Trim and Understitch

When you have completed the inside curve of the facing, then trim the edges and snip at regular intervals to allow tension in the neckline to be released.

Press the facing to the inside of the garment.

Open the facing away from the garment to complete the process with a line of stitching close to the edge of the facing piece.

This is called understitching and will ensure your facing lies flat when turned to the inside. Stitch ⅛ inch (3mm) from the seam line through the facing and seam allowance underneath. The outside of the garment should not be caught in.

The other alternative to understitching the facing is to do a topstitch. Topstitch around ¼ inch (6mm) from the edge of the neck on the right side and through all layers (garment and facing).

Once you have understitched or topstitched the facing, give it a final press to help the facing sit flat.

You might like to hand stitch a few little stitches to secure the facing at the shoulders when you have finished the garment.

Sewing Facings - V-Neck

Step 1- Start Stitching

Follow step one and two of the round neck facing until you are ready to stitch the facing to the neckline.

Make extra sure the point of the V in the facing is exactly matching the V point on the garment. Place a pin in this exact spot facing down, or use a removable marking pen to show where the tip of the V is when you are ready to sew.

Step 2- Sewing the V-Neck

Stitch down the side of the facing following the seam allowance until you reach the v spot marked.

Make sure the machine needle is in the material at this point. Lift the foot of the machine and turn the fabric so that the machine can stitch one stitch straight across the V point. It is necessary to make one straight stitch here before turning to continue up the other side.

Once again, leave the needle in the fabric and lift the foot. Turn and stitch up the other side. This will finish the V-neck stitching line.

Step 3 - Trimming and Topstitching

Clip into the V first of all, and clip as close to the straight stitch as possible. (Read all about clipping in sewing)

Trim each side of the facing and clip the curved edges to release tension.

Then press in the same way as the round neck facing. Now you can topstitch or understitch your V-neck facing easing carefully around the point.

Press the garment and admire your handiwork.

Alternatives to Sewing Facings

An alternative to sewing facings is to use bias tape or to fully line the garment. Bias facings use less fabric and are easy to do. The main difference is that you can see a line of stitching on the outside of the garment. The disadvantage of full linings is that the extra fabric can be costly and it can add unnecessary bulk.

Further Reading:

• How to sew bias tape necklines
• How to sew a v-neck with bias tape

Facings in Sewing FAQs

Is facing the same as lining?

Facings are only placed around the neck or armholes. They are a few inches wide and do not cover the entire inside of the garment. A garment which is lined is fully covered in fabric on the inside. An example of this is a men's suit jacket.

What is the purpose of facings in sewing?

Facings are a way of finishing the raw edges of mainly the neck and armholes. They provide an invisible finish with no stitching on the outside.

Sewing Facings - In Conclusion

A well-executed round or V-necked facing is always going to give a professional finishing touch to the garment you are sewing. Follow the steps suggested in this tutorial for sewing facings, keep it neat and accurate, and you will be sure to succeed.

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